Combined clamp and hanger for books



Oct- 27, 1925'- A. G. MASS COMBINED CLAMP AND HANGER FOR BOOKS FiledJan. 22, 1925 48 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES AUGUST G. MASS, F CINd INNATI, OHIO.

COMBINED CLAMP AND HANGER FOR BOOKS.

Application filed January To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST G. MASS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Clamps andHangers for Books, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide new and improved hangingmeans for books to which reference is frequently made, such as telephonedirectories, catalogs and the like; further, to provide new and improvedmeans whereby the corners at the back of the book are clampinglyconnected so as to protect the binding of the book and means provided inassociation therewith for readily suspending the book; and, further, toprovide novel means whereby to adjustably clamp books of various sizes.

The invention will be further readily understood from the followingdescription and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

.Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved device applied to a book.

. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, and partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken in the plane of theline 33 of Fig. 2, and partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 44of Fig. 2, partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 55of Fig. 2, and partly broken away.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the clamps. V

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of my improved device,partly broken away.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a second modified form of the clamp;and,

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, 15 represents a book, forinstance, a telephone directory, usually bound in a paper or flexiblecover, indicated at 16. The leaves 17 are usually secured to the coverby means of an adhesive 18, to form the binding of the book.

My improved device comprises end clamps 19, 20, exemplified assocket-pieces, respec- 22, 1925. Serial No. 4,086.

tively having a rear wall 21, side walls 22, and an end wall 23, thelatter provided with an aperture 24: in close proximity to said rearwall. A tie-rod 25, shown threaded as at 26, and a nut 27 threadedthereover, are arranged to draw said socket-pieces toward one another.The tie-rod has a head 28. In the present exemplification the end wallsare arranged to be received between said head and said nut. The nut isrepresented as having an elongated shank 29 and a head 30, which permitsready manipulation by the fingers.

The tie-rod is arranged to be received between leaves of the bookadjacent to the binding 18 thereof. The side Walls are exemplified asslanting inwardly from the lateral edges of the rear wall, or convergingtoward each other, in order to clamp the respective corners of the bookat the back thereof firmly therebetween, the forward edges of the sidewalls extending in front of the lateral position of the tie-rodtherebetween, for clamping the leaves of the book toward each other infront of said tie-rod.

The end walls 23 also preferably slant inwardly from the outer edges ofthe rear walls, the said end walls converging toward each other, so thatthe ends of the leaves of the books may be drawn toward each other whenthe corner socket-pieces are clamped in place, for aiding in thefirmness of this reinforcement for the binding of the book.

A collar 33, shown in the form of a sleeve, is received about the shank29 of the nut 27, and maintained thereon by means of a shoulder 34 onsaid nut. It preferably has axial and rotative movements about theshank. Recesses 35 in said collar receive the ends of a split-ring 36,forming a loop, swiveled to the book, by means of which the book isadapted to be suspended from a suitable hook or nail about which thering is received.

The tie-rod 25 is inserted between leaves of the book, approximately inthe middle portion of the book at its back or binding edge, with thesocket-pieces 19, 20, received over the respective corners of the backof the book, the tie-rod extending through the apertures in the endwalls of the socketpieces. The collar 33 with the loop thereon, beingreceived about the shank of the nut, the nut is threaded to the tie-rod,with the corner-pieces held snugly in position, for drawing thecorner-pieces toward each other and clamping the same securely at thecorners of the book. The converging walls of the socket-pieces aid inthe clamping action upon the back of the book for additional rigidityand security. The side walls of the socket-pieces prevent severance ofthe leaves at the binding.

The lengths of the threadcd connections between the tie-rod and theshank of the nut provide for variations in the heights of books to whichmy improved device may be attached.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the corners of the socket-piecesare provided with recesses ll, through which the side edges of thecorners of the book at its back are arranged to project, so as to formcushioning corners for the assembled devices, whereby marring offurniture is avoided, and, in event of dropping the book and thestriking thereof at one of the corners of its back upon a piece offurniture or object, the softer corners, for instance, the paper cornersof the book, thus striking, are less likely to cause scarring or injuryto the part struck,

than if such striking were had by a corner of the socket-piece, whichfor convenience and cheapness is usually struck up from the sheet-metal.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown a further modification, whereby the sidewalls of the socket-pieces are adapted to be adjusted toward and fromeach other for accommodating various thicknesses of books. In thismodification each of the socket-pieces is arranged to compriserelatively laterally shiftable sections 43, T4, the rear walls a5, 46,of which, and the end walls 1-7, 48, of which, are arranged to overlap.The end walls are provided with slots 4-9, 50, through which the tie-rodis arranged to extend for permitting lateral adjustment between the sidesections.

The side sections are forced toward each other to clamp the leaves atthe corners of the back toward each other, and while so clamped, the nut27 is tightened, thereby locking the clamped sections in place, andforcing the sections at the respective corners of the back toward oneanother.

In the modification shown in Figs. 7, S and 9, the side walls and endwalls are also preferably convergingly arranged.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair ofend clamps arranged to be received about the opposite corners of a bookat its back, tension clamping means connecting said end clamps forclamping said end clamps upon said book and said end clamps comprisingside walls having movement endwise of said book, with said book servingas a spacer between said end-clamps for holding the same in separatedrelation, and swivel means at one end of said clamping means forsupporting said device.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of opposedcorner socketpieces having converging walls, a threaded tie-rod arrangedto be received through the book between leaves thereof adjacent to itsback and connecting said socket-pieces, a nut for said tie-rod arrangedto draw said socket-pieces toward one another to clamp the back of thebook lengthwise between said socket-pieces, and a suspending deviceacting on said rod.

3. In a deviceof the character described, the combination of opposedcorner socketpieces having lateral converging walls and end convergingwalls, arranged to clampingly receive the corners of the back of a bookbetween them, a tie-rod arranged to be received between leaves of thebook at its back connecting said socket-pieces and comprising adjustingmeans for clampingly drawing said socket-pieces toward each other toclamp said back therebetween, and suspending means for said tie-rod.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of opposedcorner socketpieces respectively comprising a rear wall, side walls andan end wall, said socketpieces arranged to be received about the cornersat the back of a book with the sockets thereof presented toward eachother, a headed threaded tie-rod projecting through said end walls andarranged to be received between leaves of the book at the back of thelatter, a nut having an elongated threaded shank threaded to saidthreaded tie-rod, a sleeve axially movable and rotatable about saidthreaded shank, and a loop on said sleeve, said end walls locatedbetween the head of said tie-rod and said threaded shank and arranged toclamp the back of said book lengthwise between said end walls.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of opposedcorner socketpieces respectively comprising relatively laterallyshiftable side-elements each provided with a side wall and an end wall,the latter having a slot therein, a tie-rod arranged to be receivedbetween leaves of the book at the back of the latter and through saidslots, said side-elements arranged to be pressed toward each other forpressing the corner of the book laterally between said side walls andshifting the walls of said slots across said tie-rod, means coactingwith said tie-rod to clamp said end walls toward each other whereby toclamp said back be tween said end walls and said side elements inlaterally pressed positions, and suspending means for said device.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination of opposed corner socketpieces respectively having endWalls and side-walls, a tie-rod and adjusting means therefor to clampsaid socket-pieces toward one another with the back of the book betweenthem, and suspending means for said tie-rod, and the corners of saidsocketpieces between said end Walls and side Walls being recessed forexposing the corners of the book through said recesses.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

AUGUST e. MASS.

